Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian soccer manager and former professional player who is currently the head coach of V.League 1 club Hanoi FC.
As a domestic player, Kewell represented Leeds United, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Melbourne Victory, Al-Gharafa, and Melbourne Heart. While at Leeds, he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2000. Internationally, he received 58 caps and scored 17 goals while playing for Australia. A left winger also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or second striker, he is often regarded by the media as "Australia's finest soccer export", despite his career being blighted by injury. In 2012, Kewell was named Australia's greatest soccer player in a vote by fans, players, and the media.
Kewell scored a crucial goal against Croatia that took Australia through to the knockout stages of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, only the Australian national team's second World Cup appearance. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Australian Professional Footballers' Association. Kewell also holds a British passport through his father's heritage. Former Middlesbrough midfielder-turned-pundit Robbie Mustoe named Kewell as one of the greatest players he had faced but questioned his consistency and attitude following his initial injuries. Former German international Michael Ballack has also highlighted both Kewell's ability and his inconsistency.
Kewell represented Australia at the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup (where Australia finished as runners-up), the 2004 OFC Nations Cup (which Australia claimed for the fourth time), the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup (where Australia finished as runners-up).
Kewell is the only Australian man to have played in a UEFA Champions League final, featuring in the Liverpool squad that won the 2005 UEFA Champions League final.
Harry Kewell was born on 22 September 1978 in Sydney, New South Wales, to an English father, Rod, and an Australian mother, Helen. Growing up, Kewell supported Liverpool in English football's First Division. He received his early education at Smithfield Public School and St. Johns Park High School before transferring to Westfield Sports High School. Before his teenage years, he played junior football for Smithfield Hotspurs (now Fairfield Hotspurs) before switching to Marconi Fairfield.
At age 14, Kewell travelled to Thailand, Italy, and England with the successful Marconi under-14 team that had recently won the state titles. The team played matches against the junior team of Milan as well as apprenticeship sides in England. This was Kewell's first time out of the country, providing his first taste of football in Europe; he also attended a Premier League match for the first time as a spectator. At age 15, Kewell was offered the opportunity to travel back to England and trial with Premiership club Leeds United for a period of four weeks as part of the Big Brother Movement in Australia. Kewell travelled to England with his future Socceroo teammate Brett Emerton. Both were successful during their trials at Leeds; however, only Kewell was able to take up the club's offer due to his father's English heritage, which satisfied the visa requirements.
Kewell played for three seasons in the Leeds United youth team. His first match for the youth squad was against Sunderland in 1995, and he scored his first hat-trick against Rotherham on 7 December 1996. Kewell made his first-team debut at age 17 in a 1–0 home defeat against Middlesbrough on 30 March 1996. In 1997, Kewell was part of the Leeds youth team that won the 1996–97 FA Youth Cup final in a 3–1 aggregate victory over Crystal Palace. His first senior goal for Leeds came in October 1997 during a 3–1 League Cup victory over Stoke City. Around that time, he was flatmates with Leeds goalkeeper Nicky Byrne, who later became a member of the boy band Westlife.
Kewell was sent off in the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup semi-final between Leeds United and Galatasaray. Playing mostly in a left-midfield role and in attack, Kewell emerged as a star among a group of highly promising youngsters, eventually playing alongside fellow Australian Mark Viduka.
Following his highly successful 1999–2000 season at Leeds, during which he won the PFA Young Player of the Year award and was selected for the PFA Team of the Year, Italian giants Internazionale bid £25 million for Kewell. Leeds rejected the offer, citing his value to the team. A high point of this period came when Kewell helped Leeds reach the semi-final of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League. The club, however, began to suffer financial difficulties. By the 2002–03 season, Leeds had sold many of their best players, and Kewell's efforts in front of goal merely delayed the club's eventual relegation from the Premiership. His performances at Leeds gained him international recognition, and over eight years, he scored 45 goals in more than 180 appearances for the club.
Kewell left Leeds under acrimonious circumstances. In an interview with the BBC shortly before his move to Liverpool, Kewell strongly criticised the club's staff, stating that the medical team had exacerbated his injuries and that his teammates had ostracised him.
Having rejected more financially enticing offers from Milan, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Barcelona, Kewell moved to the club he supported as a boy, Liverpool, for the start of the 2003–04 season. Kewell was handed the famous number seven shirt, surrendered by Vladimír Šmicer.
Kewell's transfer was controversial; in July 2003, former England captain Gary Lineker alleged in an article that a significant portion (£2 million of the £5 million fee) went to Kewell's unregistered agent, Bernie Mandic, to ensure he ended up at Anfield. Kewell subsequently sued Lineker in 2005 for defamation of character, but with the jury unable to agree on a verdict, the parties settled out of court.
Kewell made his debut for Liverpool in the opening game of the 2003–04 Premier League season, a 2–1 home loss to Chelsea on 17 August 2003. He scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 3–0 away win over great rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby with a powerful first-time strike. Kewell finished his first season at Anfield tied for second in scoring with Emile Heskey (seven goals), nine behind Michael Owen, Liverpool's top goalscorer for the 2003–04 Premier League season. Kewell also finished as Liverpool's top scorer in the 2003–04 UEFA Cup, netting against Olimpija Ljubljana, Steaua București, and Levski Sofia, bringing his season total to ten goals. Kewell's 2004–05 season started poorly; due to injury problems, he failed to score in his first 14 matches. He finally scored in round 15 of the Premier League during a 1–1 away draw against Aston Villa. It was his only Premier League goal of the season, marking one of his least productive campaigns. Despite his struggles, Kewell started and played in the 2005 League Cup final and the 2005 Champions League final.
On 25 May 2005, Kewell became the first Australian to win the UEFA Champions League, playing in Liverpool's penalty shoot-out victory over Milan in the final. (Craig Johnston, who was born in South Africa but raised in Australia, had previously won the predecessor tournament, the European Cup). Kewell was controversially selected by manager Rafael Benítez ahead of defensive midfielder Dietmar Hamann, signalling the club's intent to attack from the outset. The gamble proved unsuccessful, and an injured Kewell was substituted early in the first half with a torn abductor muscle. Liverpool were losing 1–0 at the time, and Kewell was booed off the pitch by Liverpool fans, many of whom suggested he had faked the injury. It emerged during the summer of 2005 that Kewell had played throughout the season with an undiagnosed sports hernia, also known as Gilmore's groin. His record as the only Australian to win a major UEFA tournament stood until 18 May 2022, when Ajdin Hrustic became the second Australian to win a UEFA competition courtesy of Eintracht Frankfurt's victory over Rangers F.C. in the 2022 UEFA Europa League final.